I know I've chatted about critique partners in the past, and what I've said about getting to know specifics about your potential partner's schedule and writing habits is still something I think every person needs to address before signing on to devote a significant amount of time on someone else's work.

However, even if you interview a prospect within an inch of their lives, there's something you have to find out that's just not able to be quantified. They have to make you better. They have to make you write. They have to have a connection with you that you can't fake, and you definitely can't force.

My critique partner from my Samhain Publishing days and I recently reconnected on the realization that we both needed to write despite real life kicking us in the ass on a daily basis. We are starting our second week of writing sprints every night during the week, and I'm shocked at the amount of words that have been flying from my fingers just by chatting with her nightly. As a side note, Angela, we are a hundred percent finishing these drafts before NaNo. ;)

And while I've done writing sprints with other people, and worked on stories with others, there is something magical when you connect with the right partner. I'm using the role of sprinting buddy and critique partner interchangeably here, because for me the lines blur.

More intangible things I implore you to look for in these writing connections....

1. Finding a connection outside of the writing world. My CP and I both share some similar real life struggles. And while we definitely chit chat before we jump into writing, we still work. The work ends up being better because we know the other will hold us accountable, but understand when we're not on top of our game.

Chatting with a friend (not just a colleague) on a daily basis goes a long way toward making you show up and practice the all important butt in chair writing that we all need.

2. Brainstorming sparks.Sometimes people just make your muse stand up and pay attention. There's no real reason or explanation, but there is just something magical when it happens. When I chat with certain folks, the ideas come easier. That's a connection I'm not willing to let go of, no matter what life throws at us.

3. Productivity heightens.Sometimes I'll get together with a group, and I can't concentrate. I went to a writing boot camp, and although I had a fantastic time, I only got a couple hundred words written. I was inspired to talk more about strategy, marketing, and other items with the folks there. When my CP and I sit down and bring up our WIPs, we write. And the words fly. We race, we keep moving forward, and we're both getting higher word count in less time than ever before.

4. Screwing up in front of them is A-Okay.I had an idea that we should try out Discord to connect to each other instead of the shiny social media chat options. Only problem with this is neither of us knew how to use it. We spent the first hours going back and forth figuring things out. We're old. It was work. But we looked like idiots for a moment until we asked a 14-year-old for help and got our bearings. Thank goodness for teenagers.

My point is, we laughed about it. We weren't embarrassed. We worked together, and learned something new.

5. Desire to do it all again flares.The biggest hurdle to a CP relationship is consistency. Lots of writers are prone to letting "creativity" take center stage. They want to only do things when they feel like they're in the zone. Whatever the hell that means. But when you find your connection and the stars line up, there is something in your body that pulls you toward your computer and work time with your CP.

​Now you might be asking yourself..."That's all well and good, Roxy. But how the everloving fuck do I find that type of connection?"

You put yourself out there again and again and again. I've worked with quite a few different people, and we're all busy. When a professional relationship isn't working we go our separate ways. There are plenty of women I respect, and who I've read for or who have read for me. Many of those relationships didn't go beyond one manuscript. Why? Because we didn't have the connection. It's a bummer, but it's reality. And those women and I still chat. We still promote each other's projects, and we will still go out to the bars together given the opportunity. That's part of being an adult. And a part of this business.

Of all the things I've learned as I come up on my authorversary next month, I think being a true adult has been the biggest lesson. No editor, (at least no good one), is going to shit all over your career if you decide to go with another editor for a different project. No agent is going to blacklist you if you decide to part with their representation. Not all working relationships pan out, and this business is about working your way toward finding your tribe and who brings out the best in you.

Sometimes relationships end or go on hiatus for no fault of the parties involved. Sickness, moving, life changes, lots of stuff can throw us off track. But when you've got a CP like mine, you find your way back. Because magic happens when you get together.

I hope all of you find your magic squad. I'm so stoked to be finding my way back to mine.

I've been playing along with the#InstaWriMochallenge on Instagram. Not with any kind of consistency, mind you, but I've been thinking about posting photos every day. *snort* Okay, so maybe I forgot about it and just went back and realized how far behind I was. I need to post on Instagram more.

The reason I bring it up is one of the prompts for the photo challenge was "Working Title", and I'm just not one to title my books before I finish writing them. I'm the type of person that wants to be sure of exactly how the book is going to pan out so I can capture the feeling of the book in a title. Sometimes I still am not sure, and beg my author buddies for help. Titles are damn hard, y'all.

So I thought I'd go over some of the basics I use when picking a title.

For my "working title" or what I refer to the book as, I make a quick abbreviation or description of what the book is, so I'll know what the story is if I happen to see a squirrel and run off in another direction. Sometimes it's just a main character's name, and if it's a part of a series, I'll use the series title and add the number behind it.

I'm working on "AFFL20" and "Shadow Shop Story" right now, but I also have "DMA #3" and "HCH #4" on my computer. If it's something new I'm working on or a new world, you might also see "Blind Date PNR" or "Contemp Friends to Lovers". Basically I put my titles to work so I don't have to think too hard on it.

Once I get a few rounds of writing or edits in, I'll put the book in it's own folder and give that bad boy a name. I'm stingy. I don't want to take up brain space remembering a title if I'm not dealing with it for a while.

But once I'm ready to give my book idea it's own production plan, I go through a few steps.

1. Browse Comps.If I'm writing a paranormal romance, I look at what's in the top seller's lists. Are the titles short and punchy? Do they have a lot of descriptive terms? I see what's selling and if those books have an aesthetic I connect with. Also, having a few comps in my back pocket in case I'm looking to pitch a project is insanely helpful.

​2. Consider Series and Individual Themes.When I sold my first trilogy to Samhain, we came up with all three titles right away. We wanted to have a cohesive feeling and make sure all the titles worked together. If I'm starting a series, or writing a one off, this is only pertinent if the story has series potential.

3. Come Up With Lots of Options.The more titles I have to pick through and consider the better. I'll ask my buddies in my various brain trust circles, and see what they think. Usually the list morphs and changes through brainstorming sessions, and I lock it down to a favorited title.

4. Search For the Title on Amazon.There are tons of other bookselling sites, but because the market on KU is so large, I prefer to search on Amazon to see if the title is already being widely used. Just because a title is already on another author's book doesn't mean it's off limits. No matter what some people think. (*cough*Cockygate*cough*) But if the book's title is on a best selling Inspirational Romance and I'm writing hard core erotica, I might not have the right market with my title. I adjust from there.

5. Consider How the Title Looks on Coverart.I'm not saying some talented artists couldn't make damn near anything work, but a title should be short enough to read in a large font without obscuring the entire cover image. Also, I need room for my name. I prefer my name to be fairly large and at the bottom of the book cover. I want to make sure my title goes well with my name.

If a title doesn't pass inspection against any of those five checks, I'm headed back to brainstorming. As I'm gearing up for another round of querying, I have to get my title game back in play. I doubt "Boss With A Banging Booty" will make anyone request a full manuscript.

What are some things you double and triple check before you finalize a title? Or if you're a reader, tell me titles that made you pick up a book without even reading the blurb. And then tell me one you passed on without a second thought because you couldn't get past what the author named their project. Bonus points for pictures.

Finding the perfect critique partner is damn close to finding a leprechaun. They're magical, can help you find riches, but they are elusive, and if you blink they might be gone, because life happens, and this business is nothing if not fluid.

I have said it before, and it bears repeating, that finding a critique partner is like the most awkward blind date ever. It's kind of like having a tinder profile with a picture of your dog as the profile pic. It sounds good, and looks appealing, but really, you never know what you're going to get when you swipe right.

So in order to help you find the best match possible, here are a few questions to ask before you hook up with a critique partner.

1. What is your production schedule like?

If you are a 1-2 book a year writer, don't hook up with a 3-4 book a year writer. They are going to ask a lot more from you than you are of them, and having that inequality will start to rub. Even if you don't think it will. Try to find someone who works at the same speed as you do. If you can eventually sync your publishing times, you'll be able to swap around the same point, and encourage each other through the various stages of production. Obviously this is in the perfect world that doesn't exist, and everyone has shit thrown at them, but if you're on the same basic schedule, having someone moving forward when you stall, will give you all the more reason to catch up and hop back on the keyboard.

2. How honest do you want me to be?

Here's the kicker. At first, everyone says "Be completely honest." But some people don't understand what they're asking for. Jokes and smartass comments make me giggle through the pain of edits, but let's be real, it's hard to tell if someone is joking when you're 59 pages deep and super raw from all the red marks.

When you're talking to a potential critique partner, talk about what you're looking for. Do you need the positive notes through a manuscript, or do you enjoy when they make it bleed so you can fix everything the first round?

I think this will have to do with how new the writer is as well, and if they've been through professional edits or not. Which leads me to my next question...

3. What are your publishing goals/plans?

Self-publishing and Traditional publishing are two different branches off the same tree, but take you in completely different directions. If you are looking to work with a traditional publisher, having someone else chasing that path means they will be more willing to help with pitches, queries, and synopsis writing. If your critique partner is fully self-pub and wants nothing to do with the query process, they're not going to be much help, and you'll be asking for assistance on something you'll never be able to reciprocate for. Most authors I know are either hybrid (traditional and self pub), or totally self-published. If you're a new writer and not sure where your career is headed yet, realize you're probably going to part ways at least once or twice with people. Most authors don't get offended when a relationship doesn't work out. We move on.

4. Where are you at in your career?

Here's the thing, folks. If you are not published, have never been published, or have never been published in the genre you are looking to write in, you are not going to hook up with a New York Times bestselling author. You're just not. Not only do those higher tier writers have their teams solidly in place, but they are busy. So don't ask them to read your book. You're only putting them in a supremely awkward position. If you're friends with a best seller, and they offer with absolutely no prompting from you, take them up on it, of course. But don't put people in the position to be the bad guy.

Find someone who is close to you on the climb up, and help each other grow together. Never been published? Hook up with another pre-published author. Self-published, but looking to query editors and agents? Find someone to share submission requests with and help each other out.

5. What is your turnaround time?

This is one I didn't think to ask before I started, and I probably pissed some people off. If you're a single mom, and a CP wants you to read their book during back to school season, be honest and let them know it's going to take you a month to get that novella back to them. If you're a single pringle and have hours to devote to the read throughs each day, and you can turn a book around in a week, find someone else who has the same availability.

Or at least, be upfront about expectations, and realistic time frames. Having a critique partner should make your writing life easier, not stress you out. If you work slowly, find someone else who has the same pace. If you expect fast read throughs and fast results, be upfront about it.

When I have a specific timeline I'm looking for, I send out feelers. "If I sent you a 50 page excerpt and synopsis, could you review it with line-edit detail and have it back to me in 3 weeks?" I'm specific about the length, the type of detail I'm looking for, and a timeline I'm hoping to get the feedback within. And the people I work with are just as specific. "Can you look over this blurb and have it back to me by morning?"

Make sure that if anything in your life changes, and you're going to have to change your schedule or availability, you let your CP know. Be honest, be upfront, and be ready to follow through.

6. What type of content is off limits for you?

This is important for me. I work in the romance genre, and there are lots of hard and fast opinions about every aspect of Romancelandia. Some authors write softer romance, where everything fades to black, or sex isn't even mentioned. Some write hard erotic fantasy with detailed sex scenes that might push the limits of some people's comfort zones.

Heck. I know some writers who just have a fear of dogs, or certain bodily functions, or even specific words. Knowing what your partner's hard limits are, will tell you right away if they will fit with your style.

I tell people, "I write dialogue-heavy, fast-paced stories with explicit sex. My characters are smartasses with language that would make a sailor blush. While there is violence, it's not as detailed and usually mild when on page." So they know that while my books are hot with foul language, I tend not to have a lot of blood and gore. Unless vampires are involved, and then it's usually sexy blood.

If you find someone who you get along with well, but they write Amish romance and you write hard core BDSM, it's most likely not going to work out. And finding someone who writes in the same corner of the romance world as you, means you'll have some wonderful options to cross promote later on.

7. What time zone do you live in, and what time of day do you usually work?

If you're working with someone halfway across the world, but you're a night owl, and they're an early bird, you may be online at the same time.Your time or schedule difference might also mean you'll never be able to sync up and chat beyond email. I have found that I need someone who is online regularly. That way they can poke at me, and I can poke at them.

Know when and where your CP is. And if you're talking deadlines when you need a certain project back by, you need to specify if it's in your timezone or theirs.

I usually go for a top 5 in posts like this, but I think these are all things to be upfront about when signing on with a new critique partner. So you get all of my ramblings today.

Do you have a critique partner? Is there anything you'd add to the list above? Tell me in the comments below.

I heard about this app from Jeana Mann, and was super excited about it.

I'm always looking for ways to add more reading into my life. Between Evil Day Job (Which I'm currently running late to), and family obligations, life is about whatever ten minute chunk I can steal for myself.

Radish is a reading app that gives authors a way to pull their story apart into 10-15 minute chunks and give you a way to read on your phone while you're waiting in the school pickup lane, or the doctor's office, or hell...at that line in the grocery store behind someone writing a check.

Have you heard of Radish before? If you have the app, what are you reading on it right now?

I'm currently reading "Neanderthal Seeks Human" and "Pretty Broken Girl". Give me some ideas for what to binge on next!

I wanted to reiterate some of the best writing advice I've ever heard and put into practice myself. And unlike most "writing rules" which I don't think anyone should take as something everyone has to do, this one...I am a firm believer in.

Read your story out loud.

No, I'm not saying to shout your double penetration scene with gusto from the back of public transportation, but hearing your own words helps so much. Reading out loud will prevent you from skipping over missing words you might have skimmed with your eyes. For example, look at the picture below. This is one of the first images that comes to mind when you talk reading out loud vs. in your head.

Many of you have probably seen this one before, but if you haven't read the sentence out loud, making sure to say each word. If you didn't see the extra "the" you sure find it quick when you pay attention to each word and say it.

Reading out loud also helps you pick up on your "favorite" words. I tend to do a document search for "That" "Just" "Glare" "Smile" "Grin" and a few other words that my brain loves to put into sentences and dialogue tags for me. And don't get me wrong. Keeping a list of your common repeaters is good to do, but reading out loud shows you so much more than word echos.

1. You hear when your sentence structure stagnates.

Sentences are part of the art of writing. Word choice helps everyone understand your point. These three sentences are boring because they have the same rhythm and structure.

By varying word choice and structure we can make our manuscripts more interesting for our readers. And for ourselves too. Working with fragments might seem counterintuitive, but can make a point where we need one. Do you talk to your friends with perfect grammar? I'd bet you don't.

2. You find out if you're characters are saying or thinking their own names too damn much.

When you talk to your significant other, or your mom, or your bestie, do you call them by name each time you address them?

"Becky, you really need to look at the girl wearing those pants. I'm serious, Becky. Her butt looks too big in those pants, and Becky, you know she's probably one of those rap guys' girlfriends."

Or

"Oh my god. Becky, look at her butt. It is so big. She looks like one of those rap guys' girlfriends."

Sure your characters would say each other's names to get their attention, or at the beginning of a conversation. But if you find yourself using it as a crutch because you can't remember who is talking otherwise, you need to rework your scene, not throw names around like sprinkles. Hearing it makes the sprinkles even more obvious.

3. You find things that are wrong even if you don't know why.

One of the best parts of hearing my manuscript spoken, is that "Wait. What?" moment. When I have to stop and say something again, my readers will have to re-read to get the meaning too. Sometimes you might not know the technical terms for why the grammar is screwy, but you'll know the sentence is hard to understand or makes it sound like you're talking about the incorrect subject for the description you want to use.

This is one of those trust your gut moments. And for me, this is usually where reading out loud is worth it's weight in gold. If it sounds wrong to you, it's going to sound wrong to someone else too.

Whether you're reading from your computer screen and making changes as you go, OR doing like I do, and loading your document for your kindle to read to you in robo-voice, while making notes on the printed manuscript...read it. Out loud.

This is the technique I used when one of my editors congratulated "My Team" on their hard work. Yes, it makes that much of a difference.

Do you read your book to yourself? To someone else? Do you have Word read it to you? Or are you a gadget queen like me and love sending your books to your kindle for some sexy monotone voice love scenes? Tell me how you utilize this technique in your edits. I'd love to get some pointers for my next project.

If there is one thing we have in abundance as authors, it's advice. We get it from our editors, our peers, and even our grandparents who want to know how our little hobby is going.

I'll get a real job when I'm damn well ready, Nanna!

Ahem.

But what I think we need more of in the sea of webinars and blog posts are people who we enjoy listening to. People who inspire us, and someone we can start at the beginning of their podcast and let it run in our ear holes while we dig to the bottom of our sink filled with dishes after the 4th of July. Surely someone else out there still has their decorations up, and firework carcasses strewn about their lawn beside me.

When I'm doing my chores I do one of two things, I listen to audio books, or I binge podcasts. I thought I'd share two of the podcasts I'm currently obsessed with.

Print Run is a podcast for the traditional publishing set. And although I'm not in that camp, I do thoroughly enjoy the hosts, Erik and Laura.

They chat about current events, publishing trends, and give their opinions as agents on different manuscript first pages and queries if you're a member of their Patreon. You can listen to their base content for free, and I highly recommend that, but I found value in their query critiques especially, and am currently paying for their extra content.

This podcast reminds me of my local RWA group getting together and shooting the shit over margaritas. Although I don't think Erik and Laura are drinking during their podcast. But hey...you never know. All I'm saying is you get access to a fun convo between obvious friends with a love of books and the author/publishing community. And sometimes there's a gong.

The Write Now Podcast is one I've been listening to for quite some time, and although her feed has become more interviews and less one-on-one, I'm still holding out hope she'll come back and chat with us by herself some more.

Sarah has one of those voices that just wraps around you like a warm hug. And although her shows go back for years, I'd argue that much of her advice has survived the test of time.

This channel is more motivation, and less technical chat. When you're down and feeling like you suck with the highest level of suckage that has ever been achieved by a writer, I'd recommend you pull up some of Sarah's episodes.

This podcast also follows Sarah's journey as a creator, and I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing her try new methods, and create in new mediums. Her joy is infectious. (Sarah also has Patreon)

​Do you listen to podcasts? Any favorites on writing, reading, or self-help that I need to check out? Send them my way. I'd love to have something else to binge while I fold laundry.

It's happening! The first of my Samhain Publishing books is finally re-formatted and ready to enter the world again. My mild obsession with the Tiny House movement lead me to write this book. The forced proximity trope is one of my favorites, and how much more closely forced together can one be than in a tiny house?!?

I had to write it. And since it is one of my favorites, and since it was the most recently released, I wanted to get it back out there as soon as I could.

Love Shack is up for pre-order now, and will be re-releasing June 6th.

Brandon and Felicity stole my heart and when they finally give in to the attraction between them...well, let's just say, "If the tiny house is rockin', don't come a-knockin'."

For someone so tiny, her hands were extremely warm. Brandon could still feel the imprint of her palm on his shoulder.

It was a good thing sports were on. Crazy shack lady, or not, she was adorable in her little braids and pajama pants.

Brandon wasn’t a lonely man by any means. He preferred to have his space, even when he was in a relationship. He chuckled to himself when he realized it was a good thing he’d broken it off with Rebecca months earlier. Explaining this situation to a girlfriend would not have gone over well.

“What’s so funny?”

Felicity’s voice was a bit higher pitched than normal. She was a nutjob for living here, but she was still a woman, and he was probably doing something to offend her. He seemed to have a knack for it whenever he got close enough to the opposite sex.

“I was just thinking that it was a good thing I’m not dating anyone.” Realizing how that sounded, Brandon coughed. “I mean…I’m sleeping in your bed. I mean…we’re pretty close to each other in here.”

That didn’t sound any better.

Luckily, she wasn’t offended. “Oh. That’s good.”

“That I’m not in a relationship?”

Her eyes widened. “I’m not coming onto you. I swear. I was just nervous that you’d found…” If possible, her eyelids stretched even wider and he could see the whites of her eyes glowing at him in the dim light.

“What did you think I found, Felicity?”

This whole day had been awkward as hell for him, and he’d felt like he was running around in the wrong direction of sanity since he’d gotten here. For the first time since he’d met this woman, it seemed like he might have an advantage. He hoped it was embarrassing, because he’d forgotten his night shirts, and unless he wanted to wear a polo to bed, he was showing her his nipples every night.

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.” She picked up her e-reader and pretended to read, while she looked at him sideways over the purple leather cover.

“So if I were to reach over this way…” Brandon just stuck his hand out to the left to see what kind of reaction he got.He got a very interesting one.

“You did find my stuff. Look. I’m not embarrassed. It’s very healthy to have a sexual appetite, and we should all have the freedom in our own house…”

Brandon’s smile tipped her off that he had been fishing and she pressed her lips together to keep any more words from coming out.His mind conjured all kinds of crazy things she could have hidden. “I never said I found anything, but I am sure going to look now.”

He turned his body and began to feel along the floor, but he didn’t get to even reach past the little makeshift end table when he was rocked onto his back and mounted like a horse. Occupied with his treasure hunt, Brandon was caught off guard when she lunged for him. He’d fallen on his back, but he wasn’t sure why he let her hold his hands over his head while she sat on his stomach. He was too stunned to move once she got him there.

Her breasts grazed his chest, her core pressed against his flexing abs, and she was panting lightly just inches from his own lips.

“This is awkward,” she said.

Brandon nodded, but he had to admit to himself—it sure didn’t feel awkward to his body. His skin began to heat beneath her touch, and his heart pounded enough blood south of the border to keep him rendered speechless.

Want to see how they got here? You'll have to wait until June 6th to find out. Don't forget to pre-order your copy!

I have decided I don't need sleep. Or at least I have learned that I can function with a significantly reduced amount of it. Every time I try and convince myself that "I'll go to bed early" the universe laughs loudly and something explodes around me.

Oh...you know that the cat is going to start drinking out of the toilet at 2am now, right?

The dog has taken to eating tissues so she can vomit them next to your bed just to keep things interesting.

Your hubby will now break four toes at one in the morning so that you now have to take him to get x-rays. (this happened a couple nights ago. Men should be locked out of the garage after midnight. I'm installing a new key system as soon as I'm awake enough to use a power drill.)

I told myself that today would be the day I would take a NAP. Oh that glorious, glorious nap. That thing that allows me to catch up on sleep, and possibly not be a hazard when I have to run errands later.

So I packed myself up with a blanket, cuddled on the couch....

And stared at the walls for 2 hours. Because even my body will rebel against me this week.

Then I hopped on my computer, because that's what one does when one can't sleep. I proceeded to watch a couple of youtube videos.

EXHIBIT A

EXHIBIT B

And by the time I thought I might be able to fall asleep, it was time to take the dog out so she doesn't poop on the carpet. Then it was almost lunch time, and by that point, social media's siren call had begun.

So I'm going to try and work through the fog. Because I'm republishing my books!!

If you look in the sidebar, two of them are now live once again. (PSSST! They are only 99cents and perfect for those days when you're avoiding sleep like me.)

And what the hell...I think it's time to get some love back in the air too. Keep your eyes peeled for the re-release of Love Shack. Ebook form for my Tiny House romance will be available again soon.

Hope y'all get some sleep. If not...I'll see you at the coffee shop. I'll be the one with yesterday's makeup on.

When we are little we are told we can do anything. We are told we can fly to the moon and be president, and the world is our oyster.

Then we grow up and realize without a sugar daddy, you're not going to hit up that college you want. And at least according to my high school, you needed to decide what you wanted to do with your life by the time you were sixteen so you can pick the proper college and apply by your junior year.

I have been doing the responsible thing for as long as I can remember. Working 30 hour weeks in high school while taking college courses to cut my tuition bills, all while attempting to be involved enough to look good on a college application for a respectable career track.

I hated every fucking minute of it. Hated school. Hated my major. Hated the bills and the long hours. Thank goodness I met my husband during those years or it really would have been a pointless waste of money. (I tell him often how expensive he is.)

I got caught up in it. In what I was supposed to do. And I did that for a long time.

And you know what? I was wrong.

Because while I was learning accounting, and marketing, and management in my classes, I wasn't being taught how to dream.

I did everything I was supposed to do in life, and I did it all the "right" way.

I have a wonderful family now, that I wouldn't trade for the world, but I am so grounded in reality and the day-to-day survival of that family, that I don't even know what to wish for anymore. Pounded into my head was the idea that I needed to work out the numbers. That I had to be practical. And while I'm good at my job, and I make decent money for what I do, I routinely have fantasies about turning into Milton and demanding my stapler back. (If you don't get that reference watch "Office Space", ya heathen.)

What I've spent the last few weeks doing is spinning my wheels and doing donuts in the parking lot of my brain. I have endless possibilities before me right now, and I'm trying my darnedest to put my thoughts in order. And the one question I can't seem to answer is...

"What do I want?"

I have no freaking idea. When I first started writing, I wanted to sell a book to a publisher. If I did that, I thought, I've succeeded. Well...I did that. Ummm...now what?

Because my "dreams" were always based in reality, based in the achievable, I've started hitting some serious walls. My logical brain is putting the brakes on everything, and while it's laying out realistic goals, it's not letting me think of possibilities beyond my corner of the world.

I'm practicing letting my dreams and ideas play out in a physical way, so I thought I'd share them with you guys. I have a feeling it may take a while to teach this old dog some new tricks. But here's what I've come up with so far.

GOALS FOR (the rest of) 2017

1.Re-publish my old Samhain titles myself (I have shopped these a couple places, but they weren't a great fit. On the bright side, I know some fantastic cover artists, and they have some wonderful ideas.)

2.Publish one new book in an existing series (I've got a couple ideas, and a draft in place, I just need to get edits rolling.)

​3.Publish one new stand alone novel or sell it to a publisher (If a certain acquiring editor just happens to be reading this... )

4.Get out of the fucking house and meet up with author friends that live too damn close not to see. (I did a Segway tour, any ideas on what to try next? I'm open to suggestions and willing to sign the waivers.)

5.Build an office. (I have no office space currently, and while I've been a strong proponent of working anywhere and everywhere, I've come to the conclusion, if I'm going to succeed in this whole dreaming big thing, I need my own space to do it in. Aside from my favorite table at Panera, that is.)

So those are my goals. Those are my baby steps to get back into the swing of things.

​I'm doing some reading, and falling back in love with the romance genre right now. But I'm also realizing I can do more than I give myself credit for. I'm realizing it's okay to set my goals higher than logically possible. I'm realizing it's okay to dream.